Submarine barrier



D Oct. 6, 1936. G ELIA 2,056,570

SUBMARINE BARRIER Filed Sept. 11, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct 6, 1936. i G. E. ELlA 2,056,570

SUBMARINE BARRIER Filed Sept. 11, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ZNVGNTO Oct. 6, 1936. ELlA SUBMARINE BARRIER Q 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 11, 1933 Oct. 6, 193 6. A 2,056,570

SUBMARINE BARRIER Filed Sept. 11, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Oct. 6, 1 936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE Application September 11, 1933, Serial No. 689,030

In Switzerland September 29, 1932 4 Claims.

The present inventionrelates to submarine barriers which are used as defense against all types of floating war craft, ships moving on the surface of the water ,and submarines.

-5 The principal object of the invention is the provision of a submarine barrier comprising interconnected buoys having means of defense, for example an explosive charge or sounding means, so that a ship running against the barrier may be either destroyed or will have its position signaled by the sounding buoys.

Another objectisthe provision of an electric circuit for each buoy having defense means and which circuit includes a device responsive to a current flowing through the circuit to release the defense means in the buoys.

A further object is to provide metal such as copper along the means interconnecting the.

buoys and including such metal in the above :2 referred circuit including also the metal wall of said metal and'the' sea water, which cell feeds the' above referred circuit to operate the defense means in the buoys.

Another object is the provision of a submarine barrier which comprises anchored floating buoys 23 between which are disposed the interconnected buoys containing an explosive charge or sounding means.

A stillfurther object is the provision of a submarinebarrier which may be placed as a whole into the sea and wherein said floating buoys comprise devices for automatically releasing anchoring means when the barrier has reached a predetermined depth.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the features of construction and operationset forth in the following specification and drawings, in' which,

Figure 1 is a general view of a first form of embodiment of a submarine barrier according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic and sectional view of a buoy comprising an explosive charge.

Figure 3 shows a buoy comprising sounding means.

Figure 4 shows :the barrier in operation after a ship has run into it.

Figure 5 illustrates the manner in which a barrier will be removed.

Figure 6 illustrates a further form of embodiment of the barrier. y y.

Figure 7 shows one of the floating buoys of this barrier.

Figure 8 shows a third form of a barrier while being placed into the sea.

Figure 9 shows this barrier after being an- 5 chored at sea.

Figure 10 shows a detail part.

In the barrier according to Figure 1 two concrete blocks or foundations I are resting on the bottom of the sea A. To each block is attached a cable 2 connected to a floating buoy 3 and each buoy carries a cable or chain 4a to which is attached a pulley' 4. A cable 1 passes over the pulleys 4 and has either of its ends connected to an explosive buoy 6, the two buoys 6 being connected to each other by means of a copper or other metal cable 5. -The cable I carries a pulley 9 to which is attached an explosive buoy 8 and which is connected by a cable II] to the cable 5. The buoyancy of the buoy 8 is different from that of the buoys 6 so that the loop formed by the cables 5 and I and buoys 6 is held extended in a substantially vertical plane by the buoy 8 bearing on the cable 1.

The three explosive buoys 6 and 8 are identical and one of them is represented in Figure 2. It comprises an explosive charge II which can be made to explode by means of two time fuzes l2 and I3. The fuze -l3 may be actuated by a mechanical device M of any known type placed under the control of the cable 1 to be put in action upon the-cable being subjected to an excessive tension. The fuze I2 is put in action when an electric circuit, in which is included the fuze and the source of current I5, is closed. This circuit comprises two interrupters of which the first one is composed of the two fixed contacts l6 and I! which can be bridged by a mobile contact l8 constituted by the moving magnet of a galvanometer. The second interrupter comprises the two contacts l9 and which may be bridged by the contact 20a controlled by a device Zflb of known type comprising an elastic diaphragm subjected to the static pressure of the sea water.

The winding of the galvanometer 18a is connected by an insulated conductor 2| to the copper cable 5 and by the conductor 22 to a contact 23 which can be connected to the contact 24 by a movable contact 25 which is also actuated by the above referred device 201). The contact 24 is connected to the wall 21 of the buoy which is conducting and may be made of brass for instance. The two interrupters constituted by the contacts is, 20 and 200 on the one hand, and 23, 5

24 and 25 on the other hand, are closed by the action of the device b when the buoys 6 and 8 are placed at the required depth into the sea.

When a war ship, as for example a submarine B runs into the barrier, the bow of the ship will catch the cable'5 (Fig. 4) and the barrier will be broken. Preferably the cable llv will be made weaker than the cable. 5 so that the cable 1 is cut. Owing to the movement of the ship the buoys 6 and 8 close together'towards the hull'ot the ship. "As soon as the iron hull makes contact with the wall 27 of an explosive buoy, a current will pass through the windingof the galvanometer llla because the iron of the ship, the seawater "and' the copper of the cable 5 constitute anelectric cell which is connected to the galvanomter, and the interrupters I9 and 20 are maintained closed by the pressure of the sea water. -Themagnet 18 thus connects the contacts l6 and ll and the source of electricity l5 operates the fuze l2 which ignites the explosive charge after the time for which it had been set.

, If the war ship would be provided with shears for cutting the cables of the barrier, the galvanometer of the buoys would be actuated in the same manner as before as soon as it wouldbe tried to cut the cables; the electric cell wouldbe constituted by the steel of the shears, the sea water and the copper cable.

If for any reason'the fuze l2 would not beactuated when a ship runs into the barrier, the fuze l3 would'become operative when the cable 5 becomes ov'ertensioned by the action of the-ship. I

In the'placeof explosive buoys 6 and 8.there could be used sounding buoys. Suchbuoys would alsocontain a galvanometer, a source of current and a relay but the explosive charge would be replaced .by a sounding device of any known type or by a radio transmitter which would be operated when the relay is closed. It isals'o possible to use buoys giving-light signals when a war ship runsinto-the barrier. The source of current 15 and-the gal-van'ometer with-the interrupter 16, ll, 18 could be omitted and the cu'rrent generated upon the war ship making contact with the-copper cable-of the barrier and with abuoy could be used for directly operating the iuze l2. 1

In order to remove a'barrier (Fig. 5) wooden boats" will be used to approach the barrier and the' buoys will-be seized by means of grapnels. The 'buoys 3 carry preferably cables 28 connected to ahooks 29 which can slidealong-the cables= 2. Wh en the barrier is to be removed, the cables 28 are detached fromthebuoys 3 and connected to chains28a which are lowered fromthe boats :to lower the hooks29 until these-engage in rings 38 carried by the foundation blocks I, so that these blocks can be raised. Y r

A further embodiment of theinvention is shown inFigJfi, in the moment' the barrier being broken -'by"a submarine B. The'ship pulls the three buoys 3! attached to acopper cable 32 along-with her.

Thebuoys 3|;aresounding buoys'and when. the

."walls 'of the buoys make contact withthe hull of the submarine an electric current will be gener- 'ated by the cell constituted by the iron of-the hull,

the seawater and-"the copper cable, which curmechanical devices are well known and are not represented. When a plurality of barriers, such as represented in Fig. 6, are placed in a certain region in the sea, and the sounding devices of two adjacent buoys 33 are operated, it will be known, that the barrier had been broken between these two buoys. Such sounding buoys 33 could be naturally also be used together with buoys 3! which would contain an explosive charge.

Figs. 3 and Qshow a third form of a submarine barrier in the moment when it is placed into the gsea from a boat C, for example in order to constitute a defense means against a pursuing War ship. embodiment comprises two ordinary floating buoys38 to which are attached three explosive or sounding buoys 36 interconnected by a copper cable 31. Each buoy 38 is connected to a *weight in the form of a roller 39, by means of a cable 40.; This cable is wound many times around the rollei 39 and a locking device prevents uncoiling of the cable. When the barrier is thrown into the water, it sinks first owing-to the action of the weights 39. When it has reached a depth of from to feet, a hydrostatic device carried by the-buoys 38 is actuated by the pressure of the seawater and releases the locking device for the cable 40 which is uncoiled so that the weights -alone continue to sink until they reachthe ground, while the buoys 38 stay in place. The locking device for the cable 40 and the hydrostatically operated means for releasing 'the'cablebeing well known in the art, are not illustratedr Figure lfl shows amodification of a connecting means between the explosiveor sounding buoys. The cable 5 is constituted by a cord carrying a number of small copper balls 4|. An insulated cohductordZ leads from each ball into the interior offan explosive or sounding buoy; When theirodhull of ashipmakes contact with the copp'er balls ;'an electric cell is formed by the hull, the; copper balls and the sea water. Connections "ii'i'th'e 'intribrfbf the buoy permit to connect the 1 :1 submarinebarrijer comprising a plurality of buoys, anchoring" means for holding said buoys submerged, pulleys carried by said buoys,

;a.. a .e ext nd ng w en w adjacent i .and pas sing over said pulleys, explosive buoys n. "t Said-W1 nd n antenna i- .cally.connecting said .explosive buoys and which when submerged in sea water has ja'idifferent electrical-potential from that of a ships hull said cable, tsaidexplosive buoys and said antenna forming together a loop-shaped barrier maintained by saidipulleysbetween, adjacent anchored 1 2, Asubmarine barrier comprising; two spaced anchored floating buoys, electricallypperated sounding apparatus enclosed in' said buoys,.pul-

leys carried'by said buoys, a relativelyweak'cable passing-over the pulleys to extend between -.the

two anchored buoys, a plurality of explosive buoys connected to said cable, an antenna connected to said explosive buoys, said antenna being of a metaluvhich' when submerged in sea water has a diiferent electrical potential. fromthe metal ofa ships hull, said-cable, said explosive buoys and said antenna forming together a loop-shaped barrier maintained by said pulleys between the two anchored buoys.

3. A submarine barrier comprising a submerged cable forming a loop, mooring means for holding the loop submerged, means on said mooring means passing through the loop for loosely attaching the loop to the mooring means, a plurality of buoys connected to the cable to hold the loop extended in a substantially vertical plane and to provide the loop with a substantially horizontally extending upper loop section and with a lower loop section, said lower loop section being formed as ripping line whereby upon a ship running against said upper horizontally extending loop section the loop is tensioned until the lower section rips and the cable will be dis- "connected as a whole from the mooring means.

4. A submarine barrier comprising two spaced anchored floating buoys, pulleys carried by said buoys, a cable extending between the two buoys and passing over said pulleys, explosive buoys connected to said cable, an antenna electrically connecting said explosive buoys and which when submerged in sea water has a difierent electrical potential from that of a ship's hull, said cable, said explosive buoys and said antenna forming together a loop-shaped barrier carried by said pulleys, and an additional buoy electrically connected to said antenna and having abuoyancy different from that of said explosive buoys, said additional buoy bearing on said cable to maintain the loop-shaped barrier extended in a substantially vertical plane between the two an chored buoys.

' GIOVANNI EMANUELE 

